The Greatest Gift of All
by KenthostheKitsune
Summary: One-shot. What happens when a walk home for a six year old Hinata and her father Hiashi turn into a race to save a life? What would happen if Naruto was saved by the shy weird girl in his class? Fluffy chibi romance of course! NaruHina. My first attempt!


The Greatest Gift of All

The little village was blanketed in snowy white crystals that fell from the heavens above, decorating the puzzle-like buildings in a winter wonderland like beauty. Four stone faces that baked in the summer heat were now adorned with snowy mustaches, beards and whitening locks, these four faces dedicated to the saviors of the village were now eroding in the storm of nature's forces. The northern wind whistled as they brushed through the bare branches of the forest outside the village gates, the trees swaying to nature's unheard melody. Night had fallen; the frigid climate could draw your breath into plain sight, mixing it with that of the crisp night air that wrapped around you like a blanket. Chilled waters captured the moon's image like a mirror, reflecting its mysterious dark beauty to the world under it.

The cobble stone streets were as empty as a homeless man's bank account, save for few people who were catching up on their procrastinated holiday shopping, intent on going home to their loving dysfunctional families, warm blazing fireplaces and delicious home cook meals that could make anyone salivate from the scent alone. However not everyone was having a happy holiday. The village was built like a maze; hundreds of dead end streets littered its walls, making it difficult for anyone to find their way unless they knew the village like the back of their hand. A particular alley was near the edge of the village, its cold darkness looming over those who dared near its entrance. One could not see the ending of it, the scent of blood and water mixed permeated from its dark core to make a sickening odor that scrunched up your nose in disgust. A tiny figure could be seen, half buried in the white blanket of nature's icy makeup.

The child trembled as another gust of wind cut through him, causing his already frozen arms to wrap around himself more in a vain attempt to keep warm. His normally vibrant, spiky sunshine locks were peppered with snow flakes, lying flat against his scalp from melted water and blood. The crimson liquid trickled from the large gash on the back of his skull, slowly staining his sun kissed tresses red. His usual tan complexion was as pale as death compatible with that of a cooling corpse, the whisker-like scars on his cheeks stood out against his paper like skin that looked as if it'd break the moment you touched it.

Naruto shivered as the breeze picked up again, rubbing his blood-stained raw hands together as he tried to chase away the frostbite. He sported a tattered white T-shirt with a red spiral design on the front resembling that of a whirlpool insignia, stains of blood and dirt marred the fabric. His black shorts were torn and barely reached his black and blue bruised knees, the circulation in his feet were strained from his too small boot-like sandals that opened at the toes. The weather conditions weren't exactly helping either; the harsh wind scraping against his uncovered feet, aiding the frostbite in its quest to dominate his body. He was lying on his side in pain, too frozen to move from the icy snow bank that was his bunk..

Shocks of pain throbbed from his side, a few of his ribs cracked from when an adult body had stepped on him like a cockroach. He could feel his limbs going numb from the combination of the blood loss and creeping frostbite that threatened to overcome his senses, the burning sensation of the bitter cold fading fast as it was replaced. Why was this six year old boy out in the snow, suffering from injuries and malnourishment around one of the most charitable times of the year? And out in summer clothes no less? Simple, no one cared. Where were his parents? Your guess is as good as his, he never had a family. Who had done this to him? Ignorant people who refused to acknowledge the truth.

Naruto Uzumaki was an orphan that resided in Konohagakure no Sato, the Hidden Leaf Village which was located in Hi no Kuni or Fire Country. On October 10, six years prior a nine-tailed fox demon called Kyuubi attacked the village. He stood over fifty stories high, his fur a mixture of red and black while his eyes were a bloody crimson color with slit pupils. Certain madness resided in those scarlet pools as he attacked viciously, leaving none the opportunity to escape. With a flick of one of its mighty tails it could create an earthquake that violently shook the earth and tsunamis that beat relentlessly against the shores leaving death and destruction in its wake. The ninja of the village held off the demon as Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and leader of the village prepared to seal the beast within a newborn infant.

Using Hakke no Fuuin Shiki or Eight Divination Signs Seal Style, a self-sacrificing jutsu, he summoned the Shinigami or God of Death and struck a deal. In exchange for sealing the demon's soul and energy into his son's stomach Minato would sacrifice his soul, trapped within the Shinigami's stomach to suffer for eternity. His last request was for his son to be considered a hero for being Kyuubi's prison; sadly the people of the village didn't heed his last wish and instead treated the boy like a monster, often doing all they could to make the toddler's life a living hell. Hence Naruto's current condition, if he didn't possess the demon in his body he would've met the Shinigami long ago. He whimpered softly, he could practically feel the frostbite crawling onto his skin, the cold darkening his flesh as his cells began to die. Naruto's vision was swimming from the blow to his head; a drunken villager had thrown a bottle at him. He felt his eyes grow heavy as he struggled to stay awake, his conscious sinking into darkness.

Little Hinata Hyuuga was shuffling down the street, her overstuffed lavender parka impairing her movement through the collection of white crystals at her booted feet. Her midnight azure tresses were cloaked by her hood, leaving only her short side bangs to rustle in the winter wind. Creamy white eyes were scrunched closed, trying to keep the wind from thrashing her vision as she traveled. Treading along side her was Hiashi Hyuuga, the current leader of her clan and father. He wore white earmuffs that subdued his raven locks, preventing the harsh wind that whipped around them from lashing his face. Deep set features were plastered into a neutral expression, one he kept even in the harshest situations. Unlike his daughter's warm timid demeanor he held coldness to his presence, his eyes sharp and alert, and ones that seemed to gaze into your soul. Hiashi's usual cold composure paled in comparison to the weather swirling around them, his white parka the only thing protecting him against the frigid climate that plagued them. The Hyuuga family was a prestigious clan that dwelled in Konoha for years and even helped with its founding. This particular clan had a kekkei genkai, or ability passed down from generation to generation from parents to children. Everyone born a Hyuuga possessed the Byakugan, an eye ability that allowed them to see nearly three hundred and sixty degrees around them and through objects. They could also see other's chakra (energy) network, allowing them to apply chakra to their strikes and fight through simple touches.

They Hyuugas were known for this ability and the fighting style coupled with it, the Juuken or Gentle Fist. However this fighting style was anything but gentle, by applying energy to their attacks they could control an opponent's energy flow and damage their organs. In other words they could quite literally tear an enemy from the inside out with nothing more than little jabs and prods if they wished. The lavender eyed sprite was up to her waist in snow, her pants practically caked in it as it soaked through causing her to shiver. Hinata paused as she felt something was wrong, her instincts screaming at her to stop and fix the problem. The feeling grew as she approached a nearby alley, its cold recesses calling out to her as if begging for help. Ignoring her father's shouts of protest Hinata leaped over the snow bank blocking the alley entrance, disappearing into the darkness with her father hot on her heels. She glanced around, the nagging voice in the back of her head growing stronger as she advanced, her small feet plopping small prints on salty snow spotted ground. Frustrated, the Hyuuga heir formed a set of hand seals, her normally tranquil orbs glowing with energy. "Byakugan!" she called, her eyes gaining a sharp focus as the veins around her sockets bulged, activating her kekkei genkai. Hinata's eyes swept over the passageway, searching frantically for the source of her uneasiness before her father came to lead her away. Purple shaded eyes snapped back to a particular icy pile where she spotted a small body underneath it, its life force dwindling faster than a grain of sand in the wind.

Hurrying she scrambled over to it, the snow grabbing onto her feet to try to prolong her aid. Hiashi stood a few feet away, his boots sinking into the soft earthy substitute as he watched his daughter struggle against nature's wintry quick sand. What was the child doing? His answer came up and smacked him on the face as Hinata began to desperately claw at the snow, her gloved hands digging with a sense of urgency. As he approached she squeaked in surprise as she removed a sheet of frozen water, her gloves touching blonde spiky hair. Realizing what was going on, Hiashi glided over and helped his daughter dig out the child; the agonizing job took ten minutes. As the victim's face was revealed, the clan head recognized him as Naruto Uzumaki, the Kyuubi vessel.

Hinata gasped at the sight of her classmate and secret crush that was nearly frozen from exposure. The elder Hyuuga checked his pulse, inwardly sighing in relief as he found one the child was alive if only barely. Unlike the rest of the village population Hiashi trusted the late hokage's seal and didn't find the blonde a threat. "Hinata I'm quite surprised you were able to focus your Byakugan enough to be able to locate this boy. If you hadn't spotted him he wouldn't have survived, I'm proud of you." As he spoke he removed his coat and wrapped it around the fallen blonde, gently hefting him into his arms. She blushed scarlet, her face resembling that of a cherry's at the praise, since her father hardly ever gave her compliments. "T-Thank you father." She stuttered, a small smile gracing her delicate features.

They rushed back to the Hyuuga compound where Naruto could receive proper treatment, the clan head didn't trust the hospital staff, and you never knew how far the hatred seeped. When they arrived the Uzumaki orphan was rushed to the infirmary, the medics locking the wooden double doors behind them. Worried, the petite girl plopped herself on the cold tile floor, the hospital like smell oozing from the room making her feel dizzy. The sounds of operating tools clanging on the metal tables, the erratic beeping of the heart monitor, hushed hurried voices and the sickly scent of blood and medical potions drove her to the brink of insanity but she sat firm and waited patiently for the doors to open. A few hours and a severely tired Hinata later, the patient emerged from the operating room on a stretcher. The medics transported Naruto to a guest room, settling him in as they hooked him up to a heart monitor, IV and oxygen mask.

Hinata scurried inside the moment they left, her slippers muffling her footsteps on the wooden floor. Softly she shut the door, flinching at the loud screeching of its rusting hinges, hoping it didn't wake the room's occupant. Blushing brightly, she hesitantly shuffled to the bedside shedding her soak winter coat as she moved. The room was small, its walls and floor were crafted of cherry wood, its texture smoothed and waxed to perfection. The quality of only that the Hyuugas could afford to buy. There was a small wooden night stand by the bed, supporting a powder blue lamp and empty cream colored porcelain vase. A large curtained window occupied the wall nearby, Jack Frost drawing intricate designs along the bottom of it with his magic touch. The curtain itself was a burgundy shade of red, small clumps of dust nipping at the bottom of it as it caressed the floor. Overall the chamber was bare save for the few pictures spread out around the room, giving it an empty air to it. The area hadn't been used for quite sometime, ever since the kidnapping attempt on Hinata Hiashi hadn't welcomed many guests for fear something similar would occur.

The soul bed occupant was breathing deeply as he slept, his hot air caressing the mask's plastic material causing it to fog over when he exhaled. Naruto laid flat on his back, his bloodstained tresses sprawled across the Egyptian cotton made pillow, and bandages dressed his head after his gash had been stitched back up. His face held more color, a rosy blush dusting his features from the fever he contracted while he laid in the snow. Gauze and bandages adorned his body; the white T-shirt he once wore had to be torn open to get to his wounds more quickly leaving him in an oversized dark sweater that could fit two more people inside. To prevent Naruto from irritating his injuries further they wrapped the sleeves around him, bounding his arms. Quiet as a whisper Hinata dragged a dusted stool from the corner, her small form barely able to move the piece of furniture. After finishing the daunting task of shifting the fixture she toddled to the kitchen to snatch a bowl of cool water and wash rag to place on the blonde's forehead, careful not to alert anyone of her presence.

Upon returning to the small nook of a room she dipped the cloth into the icy waters, laying it gently on his hot sweat covered forehead. Sighing tiredly she perched herself on the wooden stand, her gaze shifting over to her blue eyed peer. After a few minutes she started to weep quietly, salty tears falling down her face as the rims of her orbs began to redden. Why did these acts of cruelty always happen to Naruto? He never did anything wrong, yes he did commit pranks on the village but that didn't merit these attacks. When the Kyuubi had first been sealed away and after the third hokage witnessed the villager's reactions he signed a decree that no one could ever speak of Naruto's condition, hoping to stop the hatred from trickling into the next generation and giving Naruto a chance at fitting in. However the repercussions weren't what he wanted, instead parents forbade their children from approaching the whiskered child, filling their heads with stories of him being bad and that he was a monster bent on destroying the village one day.

Sniffling some to stop the mucus from dripping from her runny nose and wiping away her tears, she stubbornly stayed up as long as she possibly could, taking care of the orphan throughout the night. Hinata's eyes fluttered closed only to snap open after a moment or two, the petite girl battling the tempting bait of unconsciousness until she fell asleep around midnight, her head lying on the bed near Naruto's bandaged hand. The two academy students slept peacefully that night, the soft landing of snow flakes outside the window were the only sound. Hiashi dropped in the next morning, a barely noticeable smile stretching across his lips as he was confronted with the sight of Hinata and Naruto. Sometime in the middle of the night Naruto had grasped for something to hold onto, which turned out to be his daughter's hand which returned the hold tightly like an embrace, neither wanting to let go of the only thing that comforted them in their darkest hour.

A small chuckle of amusement could be heard from the clan head as he exited the room, his feet padding against the floor as he headed toward his office to inform the Hokage that Naruto had been found. Naruto groaned as he resurfaced to consciousness, the pain returning ten fold as he regained his senses, his body felt like someone had dropped the Hokage Mountain on top of him. Feeling something incredibly warm and pleasant holding his hand his orbs flickered open slightly, his vision blurry from sleep. The blue eyed child blinked curiously as he was confronted with the sight of a white ceiling he didn't recognize, he wasn't at the hospital? His sky colored eyes trailed around his surroundings, landing on the Hyuuga girl. A small blush invaded his face that reached his ears as he leaned down and shook her gently, wanting answers to the plethora of questions buzzing around his brain like bees around hives. This girl was…..Hinata wasn't it? Naruto recognized her as the shy weird girl at the academy that always blushed and fainted around him, it didn't matter if he was looking at her from a distance or was a hair's width away from her which was the current situation. Had she saved him? If so why did she do it? It wasn't as if they were friends or anything like that…….

Hinata sighed tiredly, her face scrunching up as she tried to escape whatever it was that was trying to rouse her from her sleep. "Hinata……wake up it's me Naruto, believe it." A voice whispered in her ear, her pearl colored eyes snapping open at the words. So it hadn't been some weird fantasy or dream…..it was real! She bolted up fast, accidentally knocking noggins with Naruto which caused them to fall back clutching their now red foreheads, rubbing them as they tried to alleviate the pain. "Ouch……." Naruto grunted while Hinata simply massaged her aching head, small tears collecting in the corners of her eyes from the pain. "S-Sorry……" she stuttered quietly, afraid she had made him angry, due to her self confidence issues she was often afraid of letting others down. "Don't worry Hinata its ok……wait….did I make you cry?" the blonde inquired as he plucked a tear from her damp cheek, causing her face to light up like a Christmas tree. "N-No! I-I mean it's not y-your fault Naruto-kun I-I", Naruto smiled brightly as he sat up, "Ok Hinata-chan, I believe you. So uh…what happened?" His face was the picture of confusion and curiosity as he stared at her, eagerly waiting for an explanation.

"Well….um……w-we found you nearly frozen in an alley on the o-other side o-of the village……y-you were badly hurt…..Naruto-kun….what h-happened to you?" The blonde chibi (small child) laughed nervously, his hand rubbing the back of his neck a habit he had when he was nervous. "It was nothing Hinata-chan….I just slipped on the ice." The lavender eyed girl knew he was lying through his slightly fanged teeth but she didn't want him to think she was prodding so she remained silent. "So did you save me Hinata-chan?" Her face reddened like a cherry as she nodded, briefly thinking it was a miracle that she hadn't fainted yet like normal. "Wow thanks Hinata-chan! I owe you big time!" he shouted happily, hugging the girl without a second thought. Hinata felt her vision swirl as she passed out from their close proximity, alarming the blonde immensely.

Hiashi stepped from outside the doorway where he had been hiding out, a smirk playing at his lips. "Well it seems you're up and around already Uzumaki-san, you gave Hinata and I quite a scare earlier." Naruto smiled nervously at the clan head, he had heard rumors about the man that made his skin crawl with trepidation. "Uh…yeah thank you for finding me Hyuuga-sama." He was hardly ever the type to give respectful titles to anyone, including the Hokage but this man gave him the creeps, ones that raced up his spine. Remembering Hinata passed out, he explained to Hiashi hurriedly what happened and asked what was wrong with his new friend. "Nothing is wrong with her Uzumaki-san….she is just shy." Naruto grinned hugely in relief, "Okay I understand." The raven haired man could tell he really didn't but chose not to comment as he left again.

Naruto pouted childishly as he was left alone again, only to smile when Hinata stirred. "Hey Hinata-chan, are you awake yet?" The Hyuuga heir mumbled some words as her orbs creaked open, only for her cheeks to turn a rosy pink as her eyes gazed into cerulean ones that were mere inches from her own. Hinata yelped in surprise as she fell back, landing on the harsh wooden floor. "I'm sorry Hinata-chan! Are you ok?!" he asked as he zipped to her side, helping her up by grabbing onto her hand and pulling her onto her feet. "I'm f-fine Naruto-kun….really." Hinata assured him, flushing crimson at his concern. "Okay…you worried me for a minute there Hinata-chan." They held a quiet conversation for a few minutes Naruto doing most of the talking while Hinata entered her own opinions and answers when needed. Soon Naruto was cleared to leave, his wounds all healed from the combination of the demon's healing powers and those of the medics, this saddened Hinata because she doubted they'd ever spend so much time together again.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan we can still spend time together believe it! I'll come over everyday if I have to!" Naruto promised, giving her his patented thumbs up sign. She smiled softly in reply, "O-Okay Naruto-kun." His cheeks turned scarlet, causing Hinata to tilt her head in confusion at the sudden change in the usually confident boy. "Umm….I want to thank you Hinata-chan…for saving my life…" Hinata smiled, "I-It's nothing Naruto-kun." Before she could utter another word he pecked her on the cheek cutely before running outside the gates, leaving a blushing Hinata on her doorstep. Her hand slowly touched the still warm spot on her face, Hinata's eyes still wide with surprise at his actions. A true smile graced her lips as she looked to the sky, too happy to say a word even though she was squealing with joy and hopping around on the inside. Above the door …………was mistletoe.

Kenthos: Hey, sorry if I haven't updated but I'm being swamped with work from my english teacher. The only reason I put this up is because I want some opinions before I turn it in. This was my short story for my last portfolio that's due next monday. I'm really, really sorry I haven't updated Love Sick or MDHBFY, I've just been really busy. Currently I'm in the middle of writing the second chapter of MDHBFY and I'll try to get it up asap.

Minato: Also, if you see random numbers appear on the text let us know cause her computer might have accidently added the page numbers. Please forgive us, we're going to make the next few chapters as long as we can.

Both: *Bows*


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